Bad Uke

God damn I hate lazy, Scared Uke's! This guy started the same time as me in Judo He is only a yellow belt Im now Green, I hate when I get paired with him for practise the guy will throw you in ultra slow motion so most of the time you cant time the fall properly and end up on your ribs...

Then when his Uke he F#cking slouches and will hunch over and holds onto you like a scared cat and makes you look bad.

Only time I like getting this guy is in Randori Ne wazza so I can continously choke him, as for Tachi Waza its pointless he does his cat crouch.

Yes he has tried a few times, the guy turns up with padding under his Judogi if that helps you understand the lack of heart he has lol.. I might have to bring it up with him again.

Did you find a way to learn yourself when playing with this type of Uke?

How often do you get paired with this phenom?

Is it often enough to affect your own training and progress? Does it occur frequently enough to counter the positive effects from training with others at your dojo? I guess that would be a function of how many participants show up to each session, and how the instructor likes to pair off judoka.

If there are only a few others there with you and captain marvellous, then you might want to find out if others have spoken to the instructor. The more often he hears and observes what is "off" in a session, the more likely he is to deal with it...unless he'd rather not deal with it, in which case you have some decisions to make: are there other sessions you can attend where capt. marv. is less likely to be there? Can you make that kind of change, given your schedule (not that you should have to, the onus should not be on you, but I'm just being pragmatic).

If that's not feasible, and if the situation is affecting your progress (or even just how much fun you're having) then--unless the coach is willing to sort matters out, which some may argue is part of his job--you may have to make even more fundamental decisions.

God damn I hate lazy, Scared Uke's! This guy started the same time as me in Judo He is only a yellow belt Im now Green, I hate when I get paired with him for practise the guy will throw you in ultra slow motion so most of the time you cant time the fall properly and end up on your ribs...

Then when his Uke he F#cking slouches and will hunch over and holds onto you like a scared cat and makes you look bad.

Only time I like getting this guy is in Randori Ne wazza so I can continously choke him, as for Tachi Waza its pointless he does his cat crouch.

Anyone else had to put up with this type of Gumby?

I think just about everybody has had to put up with a poor uke at some point in their training. Being a good uke is a learned skill, because it requires some physical skills (principally ukemi) to give one confidence to let go and be a good tackling dummy. Acting as a resisting opponent by providing "just enough" resistance for the exercise requires even more skill and experience.

So I do sympathize with your predicament. Really, I do.

But I have another perspective.

I only know two things for certain about this guy: you're frustrated practicing with him, and he keeps showing up.

If he's as much of a scaredy-cat as you make him out to be, why does he keep coming to class?

Over the years, I've had several great instructors say that for many people the hardest part of the training is walking through the door the first time. I've met plenty of smart, fit people who say, "Wow, I wish I could do that" when they hear I practice any martial arts -- LARPy & compliant, Alive, unarmed, weapons, whatever, it doesn't matter. They could, but they just can't get their minds around putting themselves in the center of "violence." So I believe there's something to the idea that starting training is a major hurdle.

Assuming everything you said is true, and this guy is afraid of executing a throw, afraid of being thrown, pads himself against injury, etc. Then I'm really, really curious: what is his motivation for coming back to class? Do you know? Have you asked him? If it takes every once of courage in his soul to show up for every class, then maybe he's got a ton of heart. I dunno; I'm not there to see it.

If you don't know why he puts himself through Judo class on a regular basis, maybe you should ask him honestly. His answer might give you enough insight to get past your frustration. If you do know, I think that's a critical piece of information, at least for me, to provide you with sound advice.

I hope he is not a serious drag on your training. I also hope he finds whatever it is he's looking for in the training.

I'm reminding that Trevor Leggett, a very high Dan Grade who learned at The Budokwai and then went to Japan just prior to WW2 - and stayed there for the duration, related one of his experiences. He trained his Judo at the Kodokan and was always asked to participate in Randori by a 5th Dan. He himself was a 2nd Dan at the time; he was also rather Tall. Apparently he got a bit tired of always been asked for Randori by the 5th Dan - both his grade senior and much shorter physically than himself. Eventually, a fellow Judoka remarked on the frequency of their randori - "You always play randori with (5th Dan)". Leggett confirmed this and said that he was accommodating the senior grade. The fellow judoka cut to the quick: "He is afraid of you". When Leggett heard this, he turned down the next approach from the 5th Dan. It was probably a relief for both of them.

That aside, as Styggens says, your friend has taken the hardest step: the first one through the door. Additionally, he continues to train. Assuming he pays his mat fee, he is entitled to train and to be taught by the instructor. Students develop at their own rate. Once he develops his mat confidence, he may well overtake you. It's the Tortoise and the Hare: like Aesop's fable, the Tortoise wins the race.

Consider his motive from training. Has he been bullied? Subject to Violence or the Threat of Violence? Is he looking for some Self Defence? To make friends? In other words, not everyone takes up martial arts to fight. Remember, bullies don't last in MA.

So long as your instructor allows rotation so you're not the only training partner, then show some generosity and kindness. We've all had a knob as training partner and eventually they either adjust and accept or they leave to do something else.

Try not to get too frustrated. Learn as well as you can and continue your progress. Let us know how things pan out. Good luck.

Thanks for al the replies guys, I do give him feed back, Never really though of why he comes back is worth the question, he is a very anxious sounding bloke most of the time so good point that he is atleast trying, Ill have a chat to him next class and ask his motivations etc and encourgae him to take the fall, Maybe eithen point out it hurts more when not going with the throw this might encourage him. I get paired with him atleast twice a week so pretty regular but we do rotation in randori which helps. and no thats not him in the pic haha just suited the topic I thought. Osu

I always tell my new, nervous uke that things will go way easier for the both of us if he/she just relaxes. A while ago we were doing moving uchikomi down the mats with a throw at the end, and I paired up with a newer yellow belt. I was turning for uchi mata, and when I tried to throw his arms turned into steel rods and he tried to drop his hips back. End result was him smacking his head before he landed on his back, then pulling me down onto him so my hips smashed his ribs.

We had a little side session about being upright and relaxed as an uke, and by the end of the practice he was making people look sufficiently sexy. I've never had that problem before, but it seems like telling him he was less likely to get hurt by relaxing did the trick.

It doesn't sound much like you are doing anything to make him feel safer, which might go a long way toward helping. If you have the energy "I am here to fight" rather than "Hey let's learn together" that ain't helping. And if you run into someone like me, I am going to act like him and sandbag you. Maybe think about what you can do to help?

"We often joke -- and we really wish it were a joke -- that you will only encounter two basic problems with your 'self-defense' training.
1) That it doesn't work
2) That it does work"
-Animal MacYoung